


Precious Memories

by Anonymous



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Secret Relationship, Set before the gmg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26844328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Rufus overexerted himself while using his powers and is now suffering from the aftermath. Now it’s up to Orga to watch over him.
Relationships: Rufus Lore/Orga Nanagear
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16
Collections: Anonymous





	Precious Memories

It was almost nighttime when Orga found himself in front of Rufus’ room. Usually, he would refrain from visiting his friend too often so as not to arouse suspicion from the rest of the guild, but today was different. They had just finished a mission together earlier that afternoon, and on their way back to Sabertooth, the other mage had been acting weird. The god slayer just couldn’t ignore the urge to check on him that kept gnawing at the back of his mind.

He made sure one last time that he was alone. It wouldn’t do to have someone gossiping about his presence here. Ever since they had joined Sabertooth, Rufus and he had done a good job of hiding their friendship. They knew that the master considered it a weakness and wouldn’t react well if he ever learned about it. That didn’t keep them from being close, although in front of others they pretended to despise each other in the name of an imaginary rivalry.

Without any further hesitation, Orga walked into the room without even knocking. He wasn’t surprised to find the door unlocked, for him at least. Rufus had used on it a spell he had memorized so that the god slayer would always be welcomed in, while the other guild members were kept at bay.

As he looked around in search of Rufus, his bad impression from earlier was suddenly confirmed. The memory mage was curled up on his bed, his whole body shaking and shivering uncontrollably. He was still wearing his trademark mask, but his feathered hat had fallen on the floor. Orga immediately knew that this was worse than he had first thought: his friend always took great care of his attire, even when he was injured after a battle.

He didn’t think twice and rushed to his side, sitting next to Rufus on the bed. His heart missed a beat when he realized that his whole face was contorted in pain. The other man seemed to notice his presence, because he forced himself to open his eyes, even though it obviously hurt him to do so.

“Orga…”

He instinctively reached for him and the god slayer grabbed his hand in a comforting gesture. Rufus seemed to slightly relax at that, although his whole body was still tense. If their lives had been different, Orga certainly would have rushed outside of the room in search of a healer right this instant. However, he knew that exposing Rufus’ weakness could have his friend banished from Sabertooth and he couldn’t condemn him to that cruel fate.

“What’s wrong?” He gently whispered instead.

“My powers… I… I abused them earlier, during our mission. And now, my memories… I can’t control them anymore…”

Orga scowled at him, mostly because he knew the other man was too lost in his misery to notice it. Why did this idiot have to overdo himself when the god slayer had been there and could have helped to take their foes down?

Rufus let out a pained whimper, unable to utter another word, but Orga didn’t need any further explanation. His friend had already explained this to him a while ago, when they were chatting about their respective powers. A magic as powerful as Rufus’ didn’t come without a price. If he used too much of it, then at some point his mind just got flooded by intrusive memories, ones that he couldn’t control.

They were triggered by even the slightest things in his environment, may it be a gush of wind or the fabric under his fingers. In those moments, anything could bring back a thousand of overwhelming memories. He remembered Rufus saying that visual stimuli were the worst of all, which explained why he had closed his eyes again. At the time, his friend had described the condition as “a very bad headache” but Orga could now tell that this was much, much worse.

“Can I stay with you or would you rather be left alone?” He asked in a soft voice.

“Stay… Please… Most of my memories of you… They’re happy ones. It makes this… easier.”

Orga would lie if he pretended that this didn’t leave him a tad flustered. Now that he had the permission to watch over Rufus, he kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed next to him. In a tentative gesture, he wrapped an arm around the trembling form of his friend. He waited for a second, then tightened his hold after Rufus pressed his face against his bare chest with a relieved sigh.

He also ran his fingers through his long, silky hair, then he started massaging his temples, hoping that it would help to relieve his pain. Orga scrutinized his friend’s face and continued his ministrations when it got a positive reaction out of him. Rufus cuddled up even more into his embrace, his body seeming frail compared to Orga’s bulkier one, which was now all wrapped around him.

“Do you feel better like this?”

Rufus hummed his approval and after that Orga stopped talking, knowing that sounds would only make his condition worse. The god slayer couldn’t help but think about how strong his friend was. If this was caused by his powers, he had certainly been this miserable long before he could seek refuge in his room, but he still managed to hide it so that no one would suspect his weakness. Even Orga only noticed something was out of the usual because of how close they were.

Oh, if the audience of the grand magic games or even their teammates could see Rufus right now, no one would recognize the prideful minstrel of Sabertooth, that was for sure. To be honest, Orga took some pride in knowing that he was the only one allowed to see him when he was in such a vulnerable state.

He also knew that their relationship had been teetering on the edge of more than friendship for a while now. Despite what some people might assume about his intelligence, Orga was no fool. He saw the lingering looks Rufus sent him sometimes when they were alone, just like he knew that even at his worst, the memory mage wouldn’t allow anyone else to pamper him like this.

If it hadn’t been for the way Sabertooth condemned any kind of attachment, Orga certainly would have confessed already. But he didn’t want to put Rufus between a rock and a hard place, didn’t want to pressure him into anything, especially when he knew how much his friend treasured his reputation within the guild.

* * *

It took a while, but slowly Rufus’ breathing started to even out and his body stopped shaking. He stayed silent though, a small smile on his lips and so Orga kept on snuggling him. No further responsibility awaited him for the evening and he wouldn’t mind spending the whole night like this. Once it was clear he wasn’t hurting anymore, the god slayer gently eased Rufus out of his mask so that he would be more comfortable as he slept.

This was another one of Orga’s prerogatives: he was among the very few who were allowed to look at Rufus’ uncovered face. It was a sight he could never get enough of, especially when his friend wore such a peaceful expression on his face, and all because of him. Without the smug look that was part of his minstrel persona, Rufus looked younger and it only fueled Orga’s desire to shield him from danger and hurt.

The memory mage shifted slightly in his sleep, until his head was rested on the left side of Orga’s chest. The sound of his heart must have made him remember something pleasant, because Rufus let out a small, satisfied grunt.

Orga barely suppressed a gasp, taken aback by the perfection of the moment. This was the kind of thing he could most definitely get used to. He would lie if he said he never imagined how it would feel, to hold Rufus in his arms as he fell asleep, but nothing could have prepared him for the actual thing. This, right here, was what he wanted with all his heart, he realized. Being one of the most powerful mages of Fiore would be meaningless if he didn’t have someone to share it with, if he couldn’t use that strength to protect the man in his arms.

“I love you.” He whispered, his fingers still threading through Rufus’ golden locks.

The words escaped him, as if he just couldn’t contain them anymore. For now, ushering them in a low voice while Rufus was sleeping against him would have to be enough, and maybe one day, he would have enough courage to...

“I memorized this. Also, I love you too.”

All of Orga’s focus suddenly went back to Rufus. The memory mage was clearly awake, a sly smirk on his lips and two fingers held against his forehead. For a second, the god slayer froze, the time to process what this all meant, but then he scoffed, his eyes shining with annoyance.

“You’re using your magic, really? After what you just went through? Don’t you have any sense of self-preservation?”

“Well it’s your fault for going all romantic on me without any warning, you oaf! This is a memory too precious for me to let it go, I need to remember it in every detail.”

“You weren’t supposed to hear it, even less remember it.” Orga muttered.

“And if you had memorized how my breathing sounds when I’m asleep, you would have known better. Not that I’m complaining.”

“But if you…”

Orga never got to finish his sentence, because he was interrupted by eager lips seeking his own. He quickly relaxed into the kiss, allowing himself to forget about the lack of acceptance from their guild for once. In this instant, his world revolved around Rufus and Rufus only. Nothing else mattered.

However, as pleasant as the moment was, he snapped back to reality when he realized that despite his protests, the memory mage still hadn’t stopped memorizing everything that was happening. With a disapproving groan, he took hold of his thin wrists and pinned them against the mattress. Rufus didn’t even look fazed by this show of power, probably because he knew Orga would never intentionally hurt him.

“I thought I said no more magic for you tonight.”

“Really? I don’t think I remember that, not in those precise terms at least.”

“Don’t play with words. I don’t want you to get hurt again, because in case you didn’t notice, I care about you.”

This managed to make the memory mage blush slightly, although Orga knew he would deny it if pointed it out.

“Fine. Have it your way.”

Orga smiled when he heard the words and released Rufus, although he kept a stern eye on him. The memory mage crawled back into his former position, his head pressed over his chest and the god slayer understood his cue and wrapped his arms around him again. Despite his bravado, Rufus looked exhausted. Orga decided that there would be time in the morning to discuss their feelings further and how they would probably have to hide them from the guild.

For now, he was content to just lay in bed with the man he loved resting in his arms.


End file.
